Don't Worry
by TheGummiBear
Summary: When Major Evan Lorne is captured on a routine mission, it doesn't take Colonel John Shepard long to locate him. But what else they find could change their lives. For ever.
1. Chapter 1

Don't Worry.

Summary: When Major Evan Lorne is captured on a routine mission, it doesn't take Colonel John Shepard long to locate him. But what else they find could change their lives. For ever.

Lorne/Shepard Lorne/Ronon Shepard/Rodney Team friendship

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except all the Halens, Alex, Abby, and Dan. Thanka.

_'Here is a little song I wrote,_

_You might want to sing it note for note,_

_Don't worry be happy,_

_In every life we have some trouble,_

_When you worry you make it double,_

_Don't worry, be happy...'_

_**- 'Dont worry, be happy'- by Bobby McFerrin.**_

The forest was dark and cold. Major Evan Lorne shivered, bringing his P90 up. Somehow a dark forest on an alien planet made him feel extremely cautious, and he wasn't in the mood to take any chances. It wasn't that he was scared of the dark per se. If he was, then he sure had made a strange career choice! He was just very aware of the fact that none of his team had nigh vision goggles with them, meaning that threats weren't exactly obvious until they were more than just threatening. He kept as best an eye out for team, but couldn't really keep tabs on all three of them as well as watching where he was going. Not in the dark. He heard a cry which sounded suspiciously like Dr Alex Smith, but he couldn't be sure. He couldn't be sure of anything in the darkness.

" Alex?" he called out. There was no reply. He looked around blindly, " Abby, can you see Alex?" his asked his second in command, Lieutenant Abby Cassidy.

" No sir." She replied, " Give me a minute, his probably walked into a tree or something. Halting, and making sure the third member of their team, Lieutenant Dan Morris also stopped, Evan heard Abby moving around, trying to locate their team mate. A moment later Abby said, " Can't find him, sir." Instantly the three military members of the team, naturally the only ones left, were alert, their guns snapping up to point forward. They moved forwards slowly, then Abby cried out.

" Damnit!" Evan swore, just as he felt a dark puncture his neck. As he sank to the ground, drug induced unconciousness taking hold of him almost immdiatley, he dimly saw Dan also falling to the ground beside him. Then the world went black and that was the last time he saw any of them alive.

He woke up in a dark room with bars over one sighed and groaned loudly, sitting up. This was the last thing he needed. Not to mention the fact that his team were not there as well. Which meant if he was rescued, or he found a way to escape, they would also need rescuing. Not to mention the fact that this meant he couldn't protect them when they were somewhere else. And they couldn't protect him. That chilling though scared him and he sat down against the back wall, knees drawn up to his chin, shaking. His annoyance was replaced by fear and a suddden realisation that he was freezing. He looked down to see that he had been stripped down to his black t-shirt and combats. He wiggled his toes; at least they hadn't taken his boots. Or his socks. Evan was one of the more stoic airmen of the expedition, and therefore looked at this situation with a certain amount of dry wit that kept him going for longer than many, but even he had to admit that this situation was a little daunting. Alone in the dark, cold, with no food or water... Even Evan could not get past his fear. Which was, of course, probably the point. He just wished he knew where the rest of his team were. He was pretty sure that none of them had escaped, although they had never located Alex before they too were abducted.

He did not know how long he sat there; it felt like days but was more likely only hours. After a while, he began to consider that perhaps fear was not exactly the best way to deal with this situation, and pulled himself into a more upright position, still keeping his legs in as tight as possible. He looked around, taking in his surroundings and trying to plan an escape. There were bars over one entire side of the small room, much like a police station cell or holding tank on Earth, and the walls were strong, probably brick, or what passed for brick on this planet, painted black, presumably to aid the appearence of being small and dark. There was one small window, high up on one side, barred and not big enough for anyone to pass through, not even a child. With another groan, Evan realised that there would be no escaping unless Atlantis launched a rescue mission. Which of course they would. Colonel Sheppard never left a man behind. Even if that man was Lieutenant Ford's replacement and everyone seemed to harbour ill-feelings towards him. It wasn't even as if he was new anymore; he'd been there for over a year now and still didn't seem to have been accepted by anyone as anything but Ford's replacement. He hadn't even known the guy and already he was living under his shadow. He frowned. That wouldn't stop Colonel Shepard from mounting a rescue, although some people might want Doctor Weie to decide otherwise, she was likly to 'ok' a mission to what was supposedly a pretty harmless planet.

Evan snorted quietly to himself. Yeah, right, harmless. Well this certainly wasn't harmless, was it? That had been a stupid snap judgement to make. He hadn't even explored properly. The people had seemed nice enough, but he always had the example of the Genii to go by. He would never forget he and his team being held by the Genii. It had been the most hours, maybe days, of his life. He shivered again, suddenly very aware that he really wasn't properly dressed for this environment. He scowled. What the hell had he done to these people to make them quite so mad. He guessed not knowing the identity of his captors was another method of breaking him down, but instead it was just making him introspecitve and pissed off. He lay down and curled up in a ball; he might as well get some sleep.

--

Colonel John Shepard paced around the Gateroom, impatiently. He could feel Radek by his side, figeting nervously, and could hear Rodney loudly complaing to anyone who would listen about the sudden trip through the gate. John considered killing Rodney himself before Zelenka could reach him. Evan's team was now six hours overdue with their scheduled check-in, which, by John's count meant that they had missed another one. Something was wrong. John's second-in-command was nothing if not puntual; he wouldn't just forget to check in, or be late. And this was too late to be just late. Now, he was waiting for the 'ok' from Dr Elizabeth Weir to take a team to the planet and check it out. He was fairly sure that she would be fine with it, this was supposed to be a pretty harmless planet according to Major Lorne, so why was it taking her so long?

He heard a commotion off to one side and turned to see Dr Radek Zelenka shouting at Dr Rodney McKay, who had a smirk on his face and seemed to be enjoying baiting his 'friend'. John knew that Rodney cared about him really and proceded to march over and tell Zelanka to go and check the MALP one last time. He said it so forcefully thar Radek was practically half way across the room before he had even finished his sentance. Then John spun around to face Rodney, " Look, Radek and Major Lorne... they're close, okay? Very close. So stop baiting him, and stop complaining."

Rodney's face fell, but he nodded, " Sorry. I just can't help it." He said. John frowned, such an apology was unusual from the normally irate scientist, but where Radek was concerned perhaps it was not so unlikly. The two men were also very close.

John still snapped, " Well try and help it! You're both getting on my nerves." Wanting to avoid a confrontation with Rodney, he quickly said, " What the hell is taking her so long?!"

Rodney just shrugged, " How the hell should I know?"

Finally they saw Elizabeth's face over the balconey; she nodded gravely, " You have a go Colonel. Bring them all back safely."

John threw her a salute, " Yes ma'am."

--

They arrived on the planet moments later, to find the sun beating down strongly, with lucious golden fields stretching as far as the eye could see, except off to the left, where a dark green, leafy forest stood. John turned to the two teams he had brought with him,. His team, plus Radek, and the marines.

" MacGuire, Kelly, cover the gate. The rest of you fan out and start searching. For anything. And I mean anything. Could be a city, bunker in the ground..." He trailed off. They had discovered the Genii on a world like this, one supposedly harmless, a simple farming community. He saw his fears reflected in his team mates eyes. " And be carefull." he said, his voice only a whisper.

Specialist Ronon Dex moved to stand close to Shepard, " What exactly is it with Major Lorne?" He asked quietly, while keeping a close eye on his surroundings, weapon out and pointed straight ahead.

" What do you mean?" John asked, his voice laced with tension.

" Well, he always gets captured, and we always get ourselves into ridiculous situations rescuing him." Ronon glared over at McKay as he grumbled about the burns he would supposedly recieve from the strong sun.

John frowned, " As long as there isn't a repeat of last time."

Ronon grimaced. That was one memory he would like to keep repressed for a long, long time. Standing naked in the town square in order to get your people back had been humiliating and the request slightly unnerving. Evan had said he quite liked the place. No one dared ask what had happened to his team, but none of them had looked exactly unhappy when they had come back through the 'gate.

Suddeny, Ronon let out a startled yell and quicly spun round to see his friend disapear. There was a loud thud and Shepard looked down to his right.

" Ronon?" he called.

" I'm all right. Think I might have found where Major Lorne and his people are being kept." he sounded slightly sick.

" What is it Ronon?" John asked cautiously.

" You, you need to come down and see for yourself." The other man answered.

John sighed, then radioed the others, " My team, come to mine and Ronon's location, the rest of you go back to the gate and wait for my signal. Radek, you're with us."

When his team arrived, John wasted no time in explaining, " Ronon found them." he said shortly, then lowered himself into the hole, achieveing a more graceful landing than his larger friend. What he saw made him want to puke, and in fact, Rodney did puke. All over Ronon's shoes. The big Satedan wasn't exactly happy, but the expression on his face quite clearly showed that he agreed with the sentiments. Teyla, dropping down, also grimaced, but mercifully managed to keep from throwing up. Ronon patted Rodney on his shoulder, acknowleging his friend's mumbled apologies.

" Some rescue mission this turned out to be." John said.

The walls were lined with glass chambers, each filled to the top with a clear liquid, and each of Evan's team mates appeared to be suspended in the liquid. In fact, they appeared to have been drowned in in, their faces fixed in soundless screams of horror. But Evan wasn't there, and John hoped to God that he was somewhere else. He heard Zelenka drop down, and then his horrifed gasp.

" Evan isn't there Radek." He groaned as he realised that they were going to have to take Evan past this point to get him out. If he was still alive. He hoped his second-in-command was as strong as he always appeared to be. To see your team mates, your friends, like this... He knew he wouldn't be able to deal with it. He shuddered at the thought of seeing Rodney, Teyla, and Ronon trapped in tanks filled with, god knew what it was, unable to breathe. Dead. He hoped Evan hadn't been there when they were killed. He might never have shown it but he trusted Evan and was slightly fond of the younger man. He knew that Evan did not socialize much, the fact that he was basically a replacement for Lieutenant Aiden Ford made him slightly unpopular, however, he also knew how close Evan was to his team and how much he cared for them, as John did for his team, his closest friends except for Elizabeth and possibly Evan. If they ever got him out of this, assuming that they managed to get themselves out of this in the first place, he would make sure that Evan knew how much he was appreciated and encourage him to socialize a little more.

He saw Radek staring in shock and horror at the tanks, and roughly pulled the Czech away, " I do not need you freaking out on me right now, Zelenka!" he hissed.

Radek just nodded, but his expression indicated that he got the message. He turned away from the tanks, resolutley staring in the opposite direction. John looked around, checking that the rest of his team were okay. Rodney was leaning against a wall, wiping his mouth with a cloth, a disgruntled expression on his pale face; he seemed to be back to normal, although there was a grim tinge to his usual visage. Ronon's hand was hovering beside his holstered gun, his body tense, but then that was no different to usual. He too looked disgruntled as he kicked sick off his shoes. Then again, who wouldn't if Rodney McKay had just thrown up over them? Like Rodney and Ronon, Teyla also looked grim and determined. Good, they would be okay, they could carry on with the mission. He turned to Ronon, " You done?" he asked, shooting a brief smirk at Rodney who glared back.

" Yeah..." Ronon shot Rodney a glare but softened it with a smile to show that he didn't really mean it. He just liked to tease his friend. Who usually rose to the bait perfectly, but stayed silent this time, following quickly behind when John said, " Okay, move out."

They made their way along the corridor cautiously, Radek in the middle, the other four, all carrying weapons, on the outside. He had refused to carry a gun, so he was afforded the maximum protection. he shivered slightly, recognising how cold and dark it was and hoped that Evan was in a better situation than he was. Which, he realised, was not very likely. He sighed. Since Evan had arrived on Atlantis, he had become fast friends with the young man, very close in everything they did, and Evan had been considering asking if Zelenka could be transferred to his team to replace Dr Alex Smith. It seemed very likly that Radek would be able to get that position now, if Evan survived. He shook himself and held his head high, reminding himself that being anything other than positive was a bad idea and that now would be a good time to focus on finding Evan and keeping himself alive.

--

Evan lay curled up on the floor of his cell, sleeping, when footsteps sounded outside the room, waking him up. He opened his eyes slowly and looked out to see a pair of what looked like steel-capped toes in tall leather boots.

" Get up!" A deep voice said slowly, and Evan dragged himself to his feet, staring straight at his captor.

The man was tall and thin, but well-built, and he carried a gun in one hand, and a knife in his belt. He had dark hair in a short, military cut, and the darkest eyes that Evan had ever seen. He slowly unlocked the cell door and walked in, closing it behind him. He took his gun from his holster and pointed it towards Evan's head, " Do not even think of trying anything."

" Typical." Evan said bodly, his trembling voice giving away his fear, " Different world, same cliches."

" Shut up!" One of the steel-toed boots slammed into Evan's stomach and he colapsed to the floor, his face screwed up in pain, tears of agony sliding down his pale cheeks.

The man bent down to whisper in his ear, " Just answer my questions and don't be mouthy. Then you won't get hurt. Got it?"

Evan nodded weakly, but sighed, knowing that he couldn't answer any of his captors questions. He was in for a long night, " You know I can't tell you anything, right? It's kind of against regulations and why would I want to talk to someone who shoves me into a cell for the night?"

The boot connected with his head this time and black dots swarmed around the sides of his vision, making him fight hard not to lose conciousness.He felt blood trickling down into his eye and groaned softly.

" What were you doing here?" His captor asked, " Answer me!"

" We, we're explorers. We were... exploring. It's what we do."

" Explorers with weapons?"

Evan retorted without thinking of the consequences, " We need to defend ourselves. Against people like you!" Again, the boot in the stomach. Evan curled up into a protective ball, screwing his fists up against the pain.

" You were not very effective in defending yourselves."

" It was dark!"

" Still you should have tried harder. Maybe then your friends would still be alive."

" You bastard!" Evan was on his feet faster than seemed humanly possible, but his captor was quicker, his gun already pressed against the back of Evan's head. Tears blurred his vision and he sank to the floor, " What did you do to them?"

" You have no need to know except that it was a very painful death, one which will be forthcoming for you as well if you do not tell me what I need to know."

For the rest of the interrogation, Evan refused to speak. His captor kicked him, punched him, threatened him with death, but to no avail. Finally he left him lying on the floor of the cell, unable to move for the extreme pain from his wounds. Tears ran down his cheeks but he made no effort to wipe them away. Strong feelings of guilt overwhelmed him and he fell asleep crying. To him it seemed as if this was his fault. He should have protected them, he should have made sure than someone remembered the damned night vision goggles, not trusting that Alex would pick them up on his way out of the jumper as he usually did.

It was like this that John and the rest of his team found him. When McKay and Ronon had finished demolishing the bars with a blowtorch and Ronon's bare hands, John and Teyla rushed over to the young man.

" He has been badly beaten." Teyla said anxiously. She felt for pulse, " But he is still alive." She told them, relief courseing through her voice.

John bent over his second-in-command, " Evan? can you hear me?" He asked urgently, " Evan?" He resisted the temptation to shake the young man.

Evan stired, " Sir?" He managed to force out.

" Hey. Welcome back to the land of the living." He looked around cautiously, " Look, we've gotta get you out of here. D'you think you can stand?"

" I, I very much doubt it, sir." His tone was apologetic, " Sorry."

" Nothing to be sorry for, Major." John was all business.

" I can try."

" Good man." He and Ronon put an arm under his on each side and pulled him gently to his feet.

He stood for a moment, then nodded, " I'll be okay, sir. As long as I don't have to run."

" Hopefully it won't come to that. We've been undetected so far." He noticed that Evan was shivering and handed him his jacket, " They take your gear?"

" Yes sir."

He handed him a gun as well. Evan resisted the temptation to enquire as to how one man could carry so many weapons on his person.

As they moved out, down the corridor, John turned to Evan, " Now, I need you to tell me what happened here." he said, motioning for Ronon to take point. Somehow they would need to sheild Evan from the gruesome sight of his dead team mates that lay in wait up ahead.

Evan closed his eyes briefly, then, " We were returning to the gate through the forest for our scheduled check-in, it was dark, and..." The young airman stared down at the floor, " Dr Smith got hit, then the rest of us."

" Where were your night vision goggles?" John asked, his tone sharper than intended.

" I, I assumed Alex had them. He always brings them. This time... he forgot."

Damn scientists, " Alright." He stopped, momentairily, " This is not your fault, okay Evan?"

Evan leaned against the nearby wall, " I, I guess not sir."

John sighed, not knowing if he really meant it, " Alright, so what can you tell me about your captors?" He asked.

" Apart from the fact that they're vicious murders with no regard for human life?" Evan ground out.

So he knew about his team, " I'm sorry Evan. But I need to know what they wanted. And who they are."

" They call themselves the Halens. They're an ancient race of people who have lived on this planet for centuries. Apparently we stumbled upon there sacred ground." he paused, " Why is it I always get the planets with the religious fanatics?" he asked, suspiciously.

" Hey, how was I supposed to know?" John replied indignantly. He grinned softly though, Evan was beginning to become his old self again.

" True. Anyway, they wanted to know where I was from, what I was doing... the usual. And as usual they wouldn't accept the peacful explorers routine."

" It isn't a routine, Evan," John reminded him, " It's the truth."

" Yeah... Well that was it really." he looked quickly at his commanding officer, " I didn't tell them anything sir."

" I can see that." he looked Evan over, " That guy was one angry son-of-a-bitch."

Evan looked at the floor, " I... may have let my mouth run away with me, sir." he said, his tone slightly embarrased.

" Ah." Was all John said.

" Hey, it's nothing you haven't done a thousand times before."

" Good point."

" And, and I was pissed off."

" Yeah."

Ronon stopped suddenly and John knew what was round the next corner. He sighed and also stopped, holding up a fist to indicate a halt.

" Evan, sit down."

" Huh?"

" You look like you're about to collapse, kid."

Evan slid down the wall to a sitting position, facing where John was crouched.

" Evan, round the corner... your team..." he didn't know how to say it, but he saw realisation in the kid's eyes.

" Th, there bodies."

" Yeah. Evan, it's bad. I don't want you to look, okay?" he spoke softly and slowly, as if talking to a small child.

Evan's voice was like that of a child as he looked it John's face, " Okay." He replied.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Same as before, except 'Mighty Wings' isn't mine, and Dr Jack Fender and Trebin are. Mine I mean. All mine! Muhahahah! Okay, crazy maniacal moment over now...

**I think this should be dedicated to Semmi, who's my only reviewer so far! You rock, thank you.**

_'It's just a ball of dust,  
Underneath my feet,  
It rolls around the sun,  
Doesn't mean that much to me._

I take a chance on the edge of life,  
Just like all the rest,  
I look inside and dig it out,  
Cause there's no points for second best.' 

_**- 'Mighty Wings' By Cheap Trick.**_

John watched Evan closely as they ran back to the gate. Since they had left the bunker he had been withdrawn and silent. He wanted to give the young man a lecture about how orders were sometimes there to protect you, and therefore should be followed. But he knew that it would be hypocritical and Evan's emotions were already an uncharted ocean as it was. On top of that, he hadn't exactly ordered him not to look at the bodies. Just...told him not to. He just wished that he knew why the idiot had looked. It couldn't have been curiosity, who would be curious about the dead bodies of his friends? There had to be a reason but John couldn't figure out what it could be and that was driving him insane. Evan's reaction was annoying him even more. He hadn't reacted, except to withdraw into himself and become totally silent. He stole another glance at Evan and saw that the young man was beginning to fall behind. John groaned. He was forgetting about the severe beating Evan had suffered. He stopped and called out to the others,

" Hey, guys, stop a minute." he walked back to Evan, who was bent over, breathing hard, " You okay?"

" Yeah." Evan replied, shakily.

" Sit." John knelt beside the young man and handed him a canteen, " Drink. Just a sip, okay?"

Evan glared at him, but did as he was told. For once. John bit down hard on his lip to suppress the anger at Evan that was building up inside him. He wasn't really angry at his second-in-command. He was angry at the injustice, at the people who had done this to him, at the universe. John saw the pain in those bright blue eyes, and the anger melted away as he enveloped the startled young man in a hug. It was only seconds later that John realised that Evan was unconscious, his wounds finally overwhelming him. Ronon took Evan from his arms, and they ran for the gate, hearing the shouting of what was probably a whole army of Halens behind them.

--

Evan knew he shouldn't have looked. He knew, but it didn't stop him. The compulsion to look was just too strong. He needed the closure, needed to see, to make sure they were really gone. Apart from Radek and maybe John, they were his closest friends. The people he trusted most, the people he would risk everything for. On top of the beating, the cold, the panic and anger, the sight of his friends, suspended in God knew what, was enough to shock him into silence. It was as if he was in a dream, all his actions were precise and quick, but they were automatic. Before, it had been hard to believe they were gone, or to accept that they were never coming back. Now fear was enveloping him, and feelings of anger and a desire of revenge. A fervent desire to find the person who was responsible and kill them in the most violent way possible. Preferably using a grenade launcher. As they ran he could feel his strength ebbing, but did not say anything. He could see John watching him and knew he would pick up on it if it was too bad. Radek was watching him as well. Evan wished he would keep his eyes on where he was going. Any moment he would trip and fall; although they were close, Evan didn't really believe that Radek had any athletic prowess at all.

When John asked them to stop he was only to glad to follow orders this time, sinking to the ground in exhaustion. He gratefully accepted Johns offer of water, though glared at him in resentment at being told to only take sips. He knew that already; it was survival 101! So when John hugged him tightly, he wasn't expecting it. He had never had any idea that his commanding officer cared about him or even noticed him. His exhaustion and pain began to overtake him, and he couldn't stop darkness from overwhelming him. At least unconscious he didn't usually dream and was unlikely to think too deeply about anything. The last thing he felt was Ronon hoisting him onto his back.

--

Three days later, John, Ronon, Teyla, Rodney, Elizabeth, and Radek were all gathered around a certain bed in the infirmary, all chatting and laughing. Waiting for their friend to wake up. And when he finally did, Evan could not have been more surprised at the warm reception he received. Surprised in a good way; pleased even. He had lost one group of friends... but seemed to have found another.

" You must have been absolutely exhausted, lad." Carson said, shining a light into Evan's eyes.

He had just woken up and was still drowsy, but he blinked, eyes watering, and said, " Uh huh." he yawned and Carson chuckled.

" Still exhausted I see. Well, I'll leave this lot to overwhelm you with incessant bickering and meaningless chatter like they usually do." he grinned, " Just don't wear him out too much."

" Sure Carson." The group chorused, and Evan smirked weakly.

" You can tell he's your second-in-command, Sheppard." Rodney said, " Smirks even when he's injured."

" Only at you, McKay." Evan replied.

" And he's mean to me. You two are the only people who are mean to me!"

The rest of the group rolled their eyes, " Don't mind him." John said, " He's just grumpy 'cos there wasn't any chocolate cake left at the end of lunch today."

" Am not! And there would have been some if you hadn't taken the last two slices. Just so I couldn't have some."

" Rodney... You're contradicting yourself."

Evan grinned as he watched them bicker. There banter was somehow normal and calming. He looked over at Radek who had been silent the whole time, " Hey."

" Hey." The Czech scientist said softly, " So, how you feeling?"

" Not so bad... I guess." He shrugged, " Been better; been worse."

Radek grinned, " This is true, my friend." he sighed, " Do you want to talk about what happened to your team?"

Evan closed his eyes briefly, then shook his head. He was aware that the rest of the group had fallen silent and was beginning to feel slightly self-concious, " Not really." he said in a small voice. Radek nodded, he had been expecting that response.

" I am glad you are feeling better, Evan." he said, as he rose.

" As am I, Major." Teyla also stood.

" Thanks." he replied, as they left, Radek letting loose a huge yawn.

The other moved closer to the bed, " He wouldn't leave the entire time you were unconscious." John told him solemnly.

" John was pretty much the same." Elizabeth told them.

" This is true." John nodded.

" How long was I out?" Evan asked inquisitively.

" About three days." Carson said, walking over to stand beside his patient, " Now, if you don't mind, people who have been unconscious for three says need their sleep."

" In other words, bugger off." John said, " All right, I'll check on you tomorrow, Major. And we need to talk about following orders." His tone made it very clear what he was referring to.

" Yes sir."

Elizabeth leant down, " Behave yourself, Major." she said with a smile.

" Yes ma'am." he said with a grin, and threw her a mock salute.

" Yeah, you're definitely Shepard's second-in-command, Major." Ronon said, " His attitude's beginning to rub off on you!" He left, chuckling, until Elizabeth and Carson were the only visitors left.

Elizabeth's face grew serious, " Evan," He looked up, surprised at her use of his first name, " The funerals for your team... next Thursday. There will not be a hearing, but I need a full report and you will be debriefed once you are fit enough." She looked sad, " I'm sorry to have to put you through this."

" Hey, if I can't take it, I shouldn't have signed up." Evan said lightly, although she could see the sadness in his eyes.

She smiled, " Get well soon, Evan."

" Yes ma'am."

As he drifted off to sleep, Evan couldn't help marvelling at the way things had turned out. He had always been an outsider in Atlantis, never one of the guys. At least in his eyes. Now he was beginning to wonder if there was something more that he had never seen, that he had accidentally alienated himself from people who really didn't give a damn whose replacement he was as long as he was a good guy. Of course, it could all be sympathy, but he was just one small Major in a whole city of others. He wasn't even technically part of the command team. Although, as Sheppard's second-in-command, he was required to attend all meetings, and his input was expected during mission planning. He slept peacefully that night, and Carson sat by his desk in the corner, watching him, a small smile on his face. For once, all was right for the young major.

--

It was three weeks later that Evan had to pick his new 'gate team. This time, he made sure that his choices were good ones, with clever people who would not forget important things such as night vision goggles. That was one mistake he was not going to make again. So, with a team comprising Dr Radek Zelenka, Lieutenant Laura Cadman, and Dr Jack Fender, he cautiously stepped through the 'gate one Thursday afternoon to see a peaceful village spread out before him. His team stood tightly around him, and he frowned.

" Y'know guys, it would be nice to have a little of my personal space left." He quipped lightly, fervently hoping that they would get the message that he was not as fragile as they might think, and would they please back off already.

Cadman chuckled and moved away to one side, Radek frowned at him but also backed off. Jack, also frowning said, " Sure." He tone told Evan that he disagreed and would rather stay as close to his younger cousin as possible. Just in case. Evan began to doubt the wisdom of having family members on his 'gate team. Elizabeth and John had both warned him that it was a bad idea, and he was beginning to see why. He sighed, then led the way down to the village. On the outskirts he turned to the team and said, " Okay, this is a simple, routine meet and greet. That means weapons in holsters." he looked pointedly at Jack who hastily put his handgun back where it belonged. Evan looked towards the town centre, and apprehension about what might lie ahead seeped into his mind. After all, when had anything routine ever been simple? Especially a meet and greet. " And, if I get a bit twitchy... please hit me or something, Laura."

She laughed, " You got it sir." She seemed amused, but Evan could see worry behind her eyes. It was his first mission back on active duty, he guessed she had a right to be sceptical about whether he was ready for this. Especially after he had refused any session with Dr Kate Heightmeyer; personally, he found the psychologist extremely patronising.

" I'll be fine." He reassured them. Jack still looked slightly doubtful, but nodded, and the others followed suit.

As they walked through what appeared to an outsider to be a peaceful country village Evan couldn't help wondering what secrets this world might have to offer. Laura hit him.

" Cadman!" He spun round, " I didn't mean it literally!"

" Yeah? Well, it's just as well I took it that way, pay attention Evan!" He looked up to see a tall, thin man approaching him, wearing robes and a gold medallion.

Stepping forwards, the man said, " Hello, my name is Trebin. I am the leader of our people. And you are...?"

" Evan Lorne. This is Radek Zelenka." He gestured over to the Czech who was standing on his right. He pointed behind himself, " This is Laura Cadman." He pointed to his left, " And this is Jack Fender. We're explorers."

Trebin surveyed the group, nodded to each of them in turn, then said, " Welcome to our village."

" Thank you, sir." Evan said, " We... would like to discuss how our two peoples could be of service to each other, trade relations perhaps?" He tried not to sound too eager, but as Trebin chuckled, he knew that it had shown through in his tone of voice.

" Of course. Follow me. The local tavern sounds like the place to hold such a discussion, perhaps you might sample our local ale, no?"

Alex nodded vigorously and laughed. Evan nudged him, " Not too much doc. Remember last time?"

Alex sighed. He remembered all right. He also remembered his younger cousin swearing that it would never be mentioned again. He glared at Evan.

" What?" The young man asked innocently.

--

The tavern was a small stone building in the centre of town with plants growing up the sides and brightly coloured flowers planted around the patch of green grass surrounding it. Inside, there was a bar, and a few tables. The ceiling was low, and the room plain, except for what appeared to be a dance floor on one side of the room. Evan and his team took seats at a central table with Trebin, while the bartender personally brought them large glasses of ale. Evan took a cautious sip and was pleasantly pleased with the taste.

" Very nice." He heard Jack say from his seat on Evan's right hand side.

Evan elbowed him, " Not too much." he advised his cousin. Jack glared at him, but wisely put his glass down. The older man had a habit of drinking too much and then performing ill-advised stunts, which, more often than not, got Evan in a lot of trouble. Especially when they went off-world. He wouldn't describe Jack as an alcoholic, but once he got his hands on any type of alcoholic drink it wasn't likely to be there for much longer.

As his team chattered excitedly to Trebin about trade opportunities and their respective cultures, Jack focusing rather too heavily on the alcohol for Laura's taste, she stuck her elbow in his side every time he opened his mouth, causing Trebin and Radek to laugh heartily, Evan took the chance to take a good look at Trebin and their surroundings. Trebin himself was a rather portly man, and Evan found himself wondering why so many leaders, especially of villages such as this one seemed to share the same physique. He decided that it was down to the common way of living, but couldn't think of any reason why that should be so. Trebin wore a beard, but his hair was cut short, almost in a military style, although his dress and the lack of obvious weapons indicated that this was an unfounded assumption. Still, he had learnt, in one of the worst ways possible, not to take anything for granted. Staring out of the window, Evan tried to drink in as much detail as possible, his military training kicking in as always. He knew he should be paying attention to the discussion, the matter at hand, but the fact remained that he was somewhere between curious and scared, and both merited an extra look-see at the village and its people. The villagers appeared to be simple folk, although, as Evan was quick to remind himself, looks could be deceiving. It seemed to be a society based around farming, it was probably harvest time, judging by the crops that were flooding into the village from what seemed to be the one main road, leading in and out of the village, a wide dirt-track with carts pulled by what looked to be small horses pulling them along the ground.

Turning his attention back to the conversation, Evan was well into discussing what the two planets had to offer each other, apart from an alliance against the Wraith, which Trebin was more than happy to consider, when his radio crackled and Dr Weir's voice issued from the small speaker, " Major Lorne?"

" Yes ma'am?"

" You're needed back, immediately. I'll give you details upon your return."

" Yes ma'am."

" Weir out."

Evan clicked off his radio, then turned back to their host, " I'm sorry to cut this short, Trebin, but it seems there's some kind of emergency back home. I'm sure we will be back and can discuss matters further with you."

" I hope so too Major Lorne." The older man's kindly smile lit up his face and made Evan feel comfortably welcome, " Until next time." He bowed deeply.

" Until next time." Evan repeated softly, bowing in return and signalling to the rest of his team to do so also, Jack's joints cracking as he bent over. The older man winced, and Evan chuckled as he straightened up.

--

As they stepped through the gate, Elizabeth hurried to greet Evan and his team. She began to speak quickly, informing them of the situation, " Colonel Shepard and his team ran into some Wraith off-world, Major. They're requesting back-up." She frowned, " Jon requested your team."

Evan groaned, " Great..." He turned to his team, " All right, looks like we're going straight back out again. Ma'am?"

Elizabeth nodded, then gave the signal to Chuck to dial the gate, " Good luck, Major." She said quietly as Evan and his team walked towards the gate.

" Yes ma'am." Evan shot what he hoped was a cocky grin, and he could swear he heard her chuckle.

They found the area around the gate deserted, and Jack immediately brought his gun out. Laura and Evan were a little slower to react. Radek, without a gun, just looked slightly nervous. He was beginning to doubt his decision to refuse to carry a gun. Maybe you could take pacifism too far... He shook himself, then said, " Evan?"

" Yeah?"

" What now?"

Evan raised his radio close enough to speak into, " Colonel Shepard, you there?" He asked.

He got static, but then, " I read you Major. You're a little late to the party." He sounded slightly disgruntled.

" Sir?"

" See the ridge to your left? Cross it and you should be able to see us. Got it?"

" Yes sir. On our way."

When they cleared the ridge, the devastation in front of them caused startled gasps to issue from everyone's mouths. Evan was already moving down to join John and the rest of his team.

" What happened, sir?" Evan asked, surveying the burnt tents and blast craters that covered the surrounding area.

" A war, that's what happened major!" Rodney put in angrily.

Evan raised an eyebrow at the scientist who glared at him than went back to packing away equipment.

" Sir?" Evan asked again.

Jon sighed, running his hand through his hair, " It wasn't as bad as Rodney's making it out to be. A minor disagreement I'd say. But we sure could have used that back-up a but sooner."

It was Evan's turn to sigh, " Yes sir. That wasn't my idea sir." He said, shooting a glare in Laura's direction who looked up from she was teasing Rodney.

" What?" She asked, innocently.

" Cadman here just had to stop on the way back from..." He paused, realising that he had never actually bothered to discover the name of the village, " Wherever we were to look at..." He paused, " Something." He said carefully, realising that now would not be a good time to let Shepard know about Laura's strange fascination with petunias. Or at least what looked like petunias. He hoped they were at least something like petunias. John looked between Laura and Evan, then shook his head. He knew better than to ask.

" Right... Okay, well, you lot can help with packing up, and we can clear out. You can have the full story when I give it to Elizabeth." he paused, " Which will only happen when I figure out how to tell her."


End file.
